It is often required in the security field to secure doors and other equipment from access or usage by unauthorized persons. Typically, a magnetic card is swiped through a reader mechanism in order to identify the user requesting access or usage. Often, these magnetic cards are subject to being inadvertently erased by coming in close proximity with or otherwise physically touching a magnetic field or source thereby disabling the card from proper usage. Keys can also be utilized to permit access through certain doors but keys can be bent or broken thereby rendering them useless as well.
In addition, it is often necessary to physically attach one or more secondary devices to a primary device as accessory apparatus prior to the primary device's initialization and subsequent proper operation. In most instances, a machine is delivered to the end-user or customer with some assembly being required to be performed by the customer. It often is not possible for the devices' manufacturer's technical representatives to be present to monitor and otherwise ensure that secondary device attachment and installation to the primary device has been performed properly in advance of the machine's operation. Incorrect assembly can cause damage to the machine and/or cause injury to the customer. In addition, the primary device may configure itself differently depending on which accessory or secondary devices have been attached thereto. In the instance wherein the primary device is a copier machine, one particular or alternate configuration may be required of the primary device if there are more than one input paper trays attached thereto or multiple output trays attached thereto. As such, the primary device may need a user-friendly and quick method of determining which accessory devices have been attached.
What is needed in the arts is an identification apparatus which cannot be easily erased or broken and which, when placed onto a pin array of a primary device enables the primary device to identify the user requesting access or to identify which accessory devices have been connected or otherwise attached thereto.